Coroner gives details on fatal shooting

The Henderson woman found dead with her estranged husband after a shootout with police died from multiple gunshot and stab wounds, the coroner's office said Friday.

Police discovered the bodies in an upstairs bedroom Wednesday morning after the man exchanged gunfire with Henderson officers, who had rushed in to help after a 911 call of shots fired in the home.

The coroner's office identified the woman as Naira Villarreal-Gonzalez, 21. The man's identity was withheld pending family notification. The coroner did not release any other details of the case, citing the ongoing investigation.

Police said they don't think their bullets hit the woman.

"We still believe that the suspect killed her and then took his own life," officer Todd Rasmussen said. "We have no information right now that points to her being shot by us."

The confrontation began about 7:15 a.m. at 608 Breezy Sage Court, near Boulder Highway and College Drive. Villarreal-Gonzalez's mother, who lived at the home with her daughter and 11-year-old son, called 911 and said shots had been fired inside the house, police said.

Six officers ran into the house and gathered outside the second-floor bedroom holding the gunman and his wife. Officer Joe Yzaguirre, an 18-year veteran, tried to kick in the door and was greeted by gunfire.

Wounded in the leg, Yzaguirre, 47, and four other officers returned fire through the closed door before retreating to the street.

Fours hours later, Las Vegas police sent a robot to the room and found the two bodies.

The other officers who shot were John Bellow, 33, a nine-year department veteran; Nickolas Stier, 23, a trainee with the department for nine months; Patricia Longworth, 37, a 10-year veteran; and Lorraine Newman, 41, an 18-year veteran.

Yzaguirre, a longtime volunteer with Special Olympics, was named the department's officer of the year in 2005.

The police investigation stretched into its third day Friday. The streets surrounding the house remained closed while investigators collected evidence inside.

Rasmussen said it was not uncommon for crime scenes to last several days, especially during complex investigations.

"We want to make sure every piece of the puzzle is uncovered," he said.